Shows start Friday, May 31, continue Wednesdays through Saturdays into October

By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times

The open, green lawns of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s courtyard will be vibrating with the tunes and sounds of performers as the Green Show returns to Ashland this Friday.

From a comedy performance featuring a sign language parody of one of Shakespeare’s plays to a tribute concert to soul icon Aretha Franklin, OSF’s Green Show includes a diverse range of performers showcasing their art forms in a variety of ways.

The shows are free and open to the public.

For organizers of the Green Show, highlighting local talent while also bringing in artists from outside the community is a key factor to the program’s success.

“I like to think of the Green Show like a meeting place between the Rogue Valley and OSF,” said Benajah Cobb, associate producer of the Green Show. “Not only do we have a free show that anyone can see, but we also mainly present local artists. The Rogue Valley is just chock full of great artists and musicians, it’s amazing how many exist here.”

Local performers include Alquimistas, The Rogue Suspects, Siskiyou Violins, The Brothers Reed, Shine On and more playing on Ashland’s Courtyard Stage off Pioneer Street next to OSF’s Angus Bowmer Theatre.

“Alquimistas, I just met them last year; Felipe Archer’s the main leader there and they do fun, Brazilian music,” Cobb said. “They’ve been playing all over the (Rogue) Valley and I’m very excited to have them for the first time.”

The Green Show kicks off at 6:45 p.m. Friday, May 31, with rock and funk band Blue Lightning opening the season with danceable cover songs.

“This young man Aiden Boyer applied and will be a solo performer and plays piano and sings … He also has autism and his music and how he talks to the audience represents that community and letting you know what going on in that world,” Cobb said.

For the full list of artists and performers throughout June, visit osfashland.org/en/productions/activities-and-events/green-show.aspx.

According to Cobb, the list of July performers is set to publish in early June.

This year, the Green Show is extending beyond its typical season of May through September and bringing more acts in October as well.

The program’s venue in the grassy lawn of the Courtyard Stage offers a unique setting with an intimate-feeling atmosphere while being able to hold more than 1,000 attendees.

“For most of the season the sun is still up, so for any daytime show the acts can see everyone; it’s harder to see (the audience) with stage lights inside, so it’s intimate in that way,” Cobb said. “I like the fact that there are no chairs and you sit on the lawn, so the audience can expand and contract as they wish and it always feels well attended no matter the numbers, and they vary a lot.”

“We’ve had at least 1,200 people and it gets pretty full sometimes, but you can always squeeze in,” Cobb added.

The concert series is not only a hit for audiences, but also for the performers.

“I think also, I know so, that the musicians love playing the Green Show,” Cobb said. “I just like to make sure that they feel good and are taken take of; we also offer complimentary tickets to our (OSF) shows as part of their deal.”

The Green Show holds a deep history with OSF as one of the festival’s earliest programs, evolving over the years to what it is today.

“The Green Show has been going on for decades, it’s a little bit of everything,” Cobb said. “Originally it was Morris dancers (an English folk dance) out on the green and leading the audience into the Elizabethan Theatre.”

Cobb and his wife, playwright Alison Carey, moved to the Rogue Valley in 2007 to work at OSF, with Cobb taking on the producer role for the Green Show as it broadened in 2008.

Considering himself a “jack of all trades,” Cobb voiced his appreciation for running the Green Show and handling all of its intricacies.

“There’s never any sitting back, it’s a new show every day,” he said. “Every day is a new experience, and that I quite like; I love meeting the artists.”

To learn more about the Green Show and OSF, visit osfashland.org.

Organizers are also accepting applications from artists interested in performing in the Green Show. Interested parties can apply at osfashland.org/en/work-with-us/work-with-the-green-show.aspx.

Reach reporter James Sloan at jsloan@rv-times.com. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.